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cozy_reading_times's review against another edition
4.0
4.25*
A fascinating and innovative anthology that offers a broad variety of stories and essays.
Mabye not every single story was an absolute hit, but there was no real flop either. Even half a month after finishing this book, much of this book stays in my head and some of what I read still makes me emotional.
Definitely one of the better short story collections I've read and one I would reread.
It simply was very well-rounded.
A fascinating and innovative anthology that offers a broad variety of stories and essays.
Mabye not every single story was an absolute hit, but there was no real flop either. Even half a month after finishing this book, much of this book stays in my head and some of what I read still makes me emotional.
Definitely one of the better short story collections I've read and one I would reread.
It simply was very well-rounded.
wild_and_freckless's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
jamesdanielhorn's review against another edition
3.0
Another grab bag of short fiction. As is usually the case with collections of this nature, the quality varies. This ranged from great to relatively uninteresting. I actually found the essays regarding translation more interesting than many of the stories here.
The standouts here are “A Brief History of Beinakan Disasters as Told in a Sinitic Language 衡平公式” and “The Stars We Raised 逃跑星辰” These were excellent and worth picking the entire collection up for. I also particularly liked “The Portrait 画妖” but was saddened that it ended so abruptly. Would love to see this developed into an extended, deeper novella. I guess Dragonslaying 屠龙 had its moments too, but the rest, if I’m being honest I barely remember, and I’m writing this having just finished it.
I think the translation here is excellent and the final essay made me appreciate the need for a collection like this, but it just didn’t knock my socks off. Try it though, you might enjoy it more than I did.
The standouts here are “A Brief History of Beinakan Disasters as Told in a Sinitic Language 衡平公式” and “The Stars We Raised 逃跑星辰” These were excellent and worth picking the entire collection up for. I also particularly liked “The Portrait 画妖” but was saddened that it ended so abruptly. Would love to see this developed into an extended, deeper novella. I guess Dragonslaying 屠龙 had its moments too, but the rest, if I’m being honest I barely remember, and I’m writing this having just finished it.
I think the translation here is excellent and the final essay made me appreciate the need for a collection like this, but it just didn’t knock my socks off. Try it though, you might enjoy it more than I did.
breedlove's review against another edition
5.0
Loved each story and the essays on language and the art and intricacies of translation were a fascinating read.
firefilia's review against another edition
5.0
I don’t typically rate or review anthologies because the quality and theme story to story will vary so wildly it doesn’t seem fair to me. This collection, however, was one of the most cohesive, beautiful, educational, and thoughtful anthologies I have ever read. The language, stories, and interjections of context and Chinese history come together so beautifully to provide a collection of characters, worlds, and folklore containing female and non-binary characters that blew me away. I found myself smiling with delight while reading this, and have learned a lot from the editors’ commentary.
half_book_and_co's review against another edition
4.0
As the subtitle states, The Way Spring Arrives and Other Stories is a short story anthology of speculative fiction stories translated from Chinese "From a Visionary Team of Female and Nonbinary Creators". The stories span a wide variety of speculative from myth retellings to science fiction. As with such anthologies often the case, there were some stories I liked more than others but all stories had me throughout engaged and introduced me to writers I had not read before.
But what I really loved about this book was that between the stories, there were also a couple of essays included which looked at gender and Chinese speculative fiction wrtiting, the role of online publishing ("internet novels"), and the ins-and-outs of translating. While I wished for a bit more depth with the solely gender focussed essay, I wholeheartedly loved the essays thinking through issues of translations.
For example, Yilin Wang states in the essay "Translations as Retellings: An Approach to Translating Gu Shi's 'To Produce Jade' and Ling Chen's 'The Name of the Dragon'": "I want to give Anglophone audiences the same immersive reading experience as readers of the soruce texts and not present the tales as unknowable Other, yet at the same time I also want to preserve linguistic and cultural differences, even if they may at times distance non-Chinese readers." And Rebecca F. Kuang asks in "Writing and Translation: A Hundred Technical Tricks": "Perhaps it was once reasonable - say, in the eigteenth century - to think white Americans were unfamiliar with dim sum and guanxi; today, those terms are firmly entrenched within the English lexicon. Why bring the text closer to the reader, when the reader has already moved closer to the source?"
But what I really loved about this book was that between the stories, there were also a couple of essays included which looked at gender and Chinese speculative fiction wrtiting, the role of online publishing ("internet novels"), and the ins-and-outs of translating. While I wished for a bit more depth with the solely gender focussed essay, I wholeheartedly loved the essays thinking through issues of translations.
For example, Yilin Wang states in the essay "Translations as Retellings: An Approach to Translating Gu Shi's 'To Produce Jade' and Ling Chen's 'The Name of the Dragon'": "I want to give Anglophone audiences the same immersive reading experience as readers of the soruce texts and not present the tales as unknowable Other, yet at the same time I also want to preserve linguistic and cultural differences, even if they may at times distance non-Chinese readers." And Rebecca F. Kuang asks in "Writing and Translation: A Hundred Technical Tricks": "Perhaps it was once reasonable - say, in the eigteenth century - to think white Americans were unfamiliar with dim sum and guanxi; today, those terms are firmly entrenched within the English lexicon. Why bring the text closer to the reader, when the reader has already moved closer to the source?"
goldxnapplxs's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
zmftimelord's review against another edition
3.0
Let’s be honest, this is more myth, legend, folklore, and fantasy than sci-fi. As with all short story books, the selections are not of equal power. Honestly, the first story charmed me most, and few lived up to that as it went on. Worth a read, and it is a sign of the growing, translated publications of sci-fi and fantasy from China, which has been wonderful to read/watch.
izzy42's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
aweekinthelife's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
slow-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
still trying out short stories even though they still aren’t quite my thing. i prefer longer stories when i do enjoy them more and a lot of the ones in this volume were quite short. i enjoyed the nonfiction essays in here better than the stories because of the reflections and context on translation choices and the literary landscape in modern day china.